A Living Nightmare
by Deliwiel
Summary: Post S3 - Jim becomes plagued with nightmares of his greatest enemies. He's got more to worry about though-a troll disappears on the way to New Jersey, and Jim must find them before Trollkind is discovered. He doesn't have time to worry about his nightmares. Besides, they're just dreams, right? Rated T for paranoia's sake, and for drama and injuries later on.
1. Chapter 1

_**Well hello hello hello! It's been a minute since I posted any stories at all. Last semester was ROUGH, but thankfully I've only got one more before I graduate! **_

_**So ... I started and finished Trollhunters within a week ... curse you, sister of mine for getting me started :P With that being the case though, I've suddenly found myself in a sudden bout of Trollhunters **__**withdrawal (3Below is good, but I prefer Trollhunters). So with me being me, I decided to fix my need with a story. This is clearly my first foray into Trollhunters territory (or any animated show fanfiction tbh), so bear with me as I get my footing please! Comments are appreciated, including any tips or improvements you feel could be made! Just no flames please :)**_

Jim stared at his surroundings, praying it wasn't real. "No, no, no," he muttered as he grabbed his hair. His fingers brushed his horns, and he flinched slightly, still unused to the hard spikes on his head. His appearance however, was the least of his concerns at the moment. "What am I doing back here?"

The damp, musky smell. Loud, echoey chambers that gave away his position every time he took a step. The black rocks infused with haunting green light. He was somewhere he never wanted to set foot in again: the Darklands.

"This is a dream," the Trollhunter muttered, shaking his head. "Time to wake up." He quickly closed his eyes and rubbed vigorously, then gave his arm a nice pinch for good measure before looking around again, hoping his situation had changed. It hadn't.

"Come on, wake up Jim. Wake up!"

Slapping himself did nothing to change his predicament either, though it did leave his cheek smarting afterwards. Before he could try anything else to wake up, he heard a deep grumbling laugh from behind him.

"Pathetic."

Jim's blood froze in his veins. He knew that voice, but it was one he hadn't heard for ages.

"Bular?"

_This is a dream, Jim. Bular isn't really here. You killed him on the bridge. He's gone. _

"You may have killed my body, Trollhunter, but where do you think the rest of trolls go when they die?"

"No … no, that's not right. They go to the void!"

Another chuckle sounded, but this was one Jim had heard more recently. "Gunmar," he growled. In an instant, Eclipse appeared in his hands. Now if he could only see his enemies …

"Be that as it may, Trollhunter, this is all in your head, isn't it? To you, all trolls like my son and I belong in the Darklands, not the beautiful rest the void provides."

"It _is_ a dream?" Even if the assurance came from Gunmar, it still provided Jim with a modicum of relief to have someone else confirm it as well.

"You think you defeated us, tiny champion," a new voice said from above. "But we're never far away." With a jolt, Jim's eyes shot upwards, and he backed away as he saw Morgana descending towards him. He didn't get very far before he backed into something hard, and large hands wrapped around his biceps. Even in Jim's new, bulked out troll form, Bular's hands still engulfed his arms like they were twigs, and when the massive troll squeezed, Jim felt like his bones would crumble to dust. Jim grunted and struggled, but nothing he did freed him from Bular's grasp, and only made Bular squeeze harder. Finally, for the sake of his arms, Jim stilled. Eclipse dangled in Jim's hand, but with his arms trapped and unable to move, it wasn't much use at the moment. Hopefully he could use it soon.

Morgana touched down and sauntered toward the Trollhunter. From behind the Pale Lady, the hulking figure of Gunmar appeared, his black and gold body glowing.

"No matter where you go, no matter where you and your tiny friends find to hide, we will always find you." Morgana was close enough that she ran her fingers over Jim's cheek. The teenager impulsively bit at the witch, hoping his new incisors would do some damage, but she pulled back.

"Tsk tsk, tiny champion," she said. "When will you learn manners?"

Out of nowhere, one of Morgana's golden whips appeared, and she lashed out at the young Trollhunter. This time though, instead of wrapping around his wrists or chest, the golden thread coiled around his throat. Even if the move hadn't cut off his airway, the strand burned like the sun, and Jim found himself gasping in pain as well as desperation for air.

"It's just … a … dream," the teenager groaned out as he jerked and fought against Bular's grip and Morgana's rope. "It's not … real!"

"It may be a dream, boy," Morganna sneered. "But this is very real."

At that, Gunmar raced forward, vaulting himself into the air with a roar. As he descended, the Gumm-Gumm leader clenched his fists.

Desperately, Jim twisted his wrist, pointing Eclipse straight up in the air, hoping to impale the ghost of Gunmar, but Bular yanked Jim's arm behind his back, turning Eclipse away from its target. Jim shouted in pain and frustration, but couldn't do anything else as Gunmar's fists reached their target.

Suddenly Jim bolted upright with a gasp and a cough, rolling away from his position, Eclipse striking a deep divot in the ground as he did so. Springing to his feet, Jim turned and looked wildly.

"Where'd they go?" he asked out loud, unable to see Bular, Gunmar, or Morgana.

"Jim!"

Jim knew that voice, better than almost anyone's. "Claire?" He spun around and there, standing right behind him, was his girlfriend.

"Jim, it's okay, you're okay," she said quietly. When Jim looked at her, he was surprised to see a touch of fear lining her face. Suddenly he realized he was still holding Eclipse, and in his current state of apparent fight or flight, he realized he was capable of swinging the sword at anyone who approached him.

"Where are they?" he asked, trying not to growl at the girl he loved.

"Where are who? Jim, you were having a nightmare. Whatever it was, it's not real."

"It is … it was." Jim faltered. It had to have been a nightmare, right? There was no way all three of his worst enemies were able to hijack his dreams and actually hurt him. Now that he'd been awake for a few seconds, he was calming down and realizing he was safe. Slowly, he reached up and hooked Eclipse onto his back before rubbing his eyes to get the rest of the sleep out of his system.

"Did I hurt anyone?" he asked, looking around at the sleeping trolls.

To his immense relief, Claire shook her head. "No. You just started twitching, and then groaning. I tried to wake you up, but that's when you pulled Eclipse and jumped up. You didn't do anything for a bit, but then … I don't know, it was like you snapped. What were you dreaming about?"

Jim rubbed the back of his neck, ashamed that he could have hurt any of his friends. Apparently he needed to learn to control himself better.

"Nothing," he lied. It was obvious Claire didn't buy that lie though, with her cocked eyebrow and skeptical stare boring into Jim's soul.

"It was Gunmar, wasn't it?" she asked. She'd always been more observant than the average teenager at Arcadia Oaks. For a moment, Jim didn't say anything, but then he nodded shortly.

"And Bular and Morgana," he added. "But it was just a dream," he continued, not wanting her to worry.

"What's this, Master Jim?" Blinky asked, coming up behind the two teeangers.

"Nothing," Jim said, wishing the attention would fall somewhere else. "Just a bad dream."

"A dream where he ran into Morgana, Gunmar, and Bular," Claire contended.

"Ah. I can see why such a dream might cause alarm, Master Jim. Tell me, what happened in the dream?"

Jim looked at his friends. "If I tell you, do you promise to drop it?"

Claire crossed her finger over her heart. "Promise."

Blinky held his right hands to the square. "You have my word as well."

After staring at them critically for another second, Jim finally explained what happened in his dream. At first, he just tried to skim over and give them a quick summary, but they kept asking questions about parts he glossed over, so he ended up giving a more detailed explanation. Not quite a play-by-play, but almost. What was said, what happened, and how it ended. By the time he finished, Jim was unconsciously rubbing his arms where Bular had grabbed him-it was like his arms were actually bruised from the imaginary pressure.

"But it was just a dream," Jim finished. "I'm awake now, and we need to get moving." He wanted to forget the dream had ever happened. Besides that, Morgana's words about it being real unnerved him. She was a liar and manipulator, but her words echoed in his head, refusing to leave him alone.

"Master Jim," Blinky said after a moment. "You said Morgana attacked you, correct? Used her whips of light around your throat?"

"Yeah, why?"

Jim had a feeling he didn't want to hear what Blinky had to say next, but he didn't stop the troll.

"Well … correct me if I'm mistaken, but … there's a mark on your throat that you didn't have yesterday."

_**Okay ... so there's the first chapter. Thoughts? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Suggestions for ways to improve? **_

_**This is a WIP fic. Normally I don't like doing those, but I think I'm excited enough about writing this that it should be out fairly quickly. **_

_**Anyway. Lemme know what you guys think! **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Okay ... no idea if you guys like it, love it, or hate it, but that's okay! I'm excited about the story, so I'm gonna keep posting! XD **_

Claire came in and looked closer, then glanced up at Jim. "He's right. That wasn't there yesterday."

Jim's hand rubbed his throat, and sure enough, he felt a slight abrasion over his larynx. "But how could … this has to be from something else, right?" Jim stared at Blinky, silently begging his trainer to assure him everything would be alright.

"I'm not sure, Master Jim. It could indeed be nothing, but …"

"Knowing our luck, it probably isn't," Jim finished, folding his arms.

"I fear that is the truth. And knowing Morgana was in your dream, I put nothing past her."

"Blinky, how is she doing this?" Claire rubbed Jim's arm sympathetically as they waited for the troll to answer her question, and Jim didn't stop her, even though her touch made his already-bruised arms more sore.

"I don't know," Blinky admitted. "This is quite perplexing-I've never encountered anything like it before. Perhaps Merlin will know. We must ask him ASAP!"

"ASAP?" Jim asked, his mouth quirking up in a quick grin.

"Yes, it's an acronym that humans use, is it not? Meant to stand for 'As soon as possible'?"

"You're absolutely right, Blinky," Claire said, trying not to laugh. "That's exactly what it means. Come on, let's go find Merlin."

Blinky and Claire started walking away, but paused when they realized they weren't being followed. "Master Jim?" the six-eyed troll asked, turning around. "Aren't you coming?"

The Trollhunter looked at his friends, shaken out of his own thoughts. "Yeah, sorry. Merlin. Let's go ask. Hopefully it's just a dream though."

"Indeed. But, better to be safe than sorry," Blinky said.

When they found Merlin, the old wizard was sleeping against a large pile of rocks. He'd managed to conjure a pillow from somewhere, though instead of placing it under his head, he'd elected to instead sit on the piece of bedding.

"Pardon me, Merlin," Blinky said, clasping his four arms together in front. "Might we have a word with you?"

"Brrrghrumfff."

"Merlin?" Blinky tried again. The wizard gave a similar response and shifted in his sleep so he was facing away from the three of them.

"You'd think after sleeping for centuries, he'd be a little opposed to it for a while," Claire huffed. She stepped forward and nudged the old man with her foot. "Hey," she said. "Wake up."

When the wizard once again refused to acknowledge their presence or wake up, Claire glared at him before turning and walking the short distance to the small pool of water they'd found inside the cave. When they'd first found the cave last night, Merlin had cast a simple spell on the pool so he, Claire and Jim could have enough clean water to keep them hydrated and healthy.

Now, Claire grabbed her bottle she'd brought from home and filled it up before bringing it back to where the old wizard was sleeping. "Merlin?" she asked again, giving the magician one last chance to wake up on his own. When he did nothing, Jim and Blinky watched, both with grins on their faces as Claire poured some of her water onto his balding head. With a sputter and a jolt, Merlin finally woke up, muttering all kinds of threats against 'whoever dared disturb the great and powerful Merlin'. Thankfully, none of the threats were followed through on when Merlin saw who was standing above him.

"Ah. Trollhunter. Lady Claire. Blinky. To what do I owe this … uncommon wake up call?" He wiped some of the water off his face and stared at the three of them expectantly. "I assume there's a reason for my unexpected bath? I wasn't due for another six months or so."

"Ew," Jim said with a crinkled nose.

"Master Jim, with your new skin, you, too require less bathing," Blinky pointed out.

"Yeah, but he doesn't have skin like us, he's got normal, sweaty human skin."

"Guys, focus. Remember?" Claire interrupted.

"Of course. Apologies for the sudden awakening sir, but the three of us wished to pose a question. We were hoping you could provide us with an answer."

"By all means," Merlin said, gesturing for the three of them to come closer. "Ask away."

"Well," Claire began. "Hypothetically speaking-"

"I apologize my dear, I do not know the meaning of this phrase, 'hypothetically speaking'. How exactly does one speak in the hypothetical? As a first timer, I shall try my best to-"

"Is it possible for Morgana to physically attack someone in a dream?" Jim spoke over the wizard, not caring how rude he sounded. He wanted to know whether or not he needed to be concerned.

Merlin's eyes widened, and his eyebrows raised slightly. "Has such a thing occurred?"

"We are … not sure," Blinky said, though his tone of voice betrayed the true answer.

"Trollhunter, I'm assuming this dream was directed at you?" Merlin asked, no longer bleary-eyed. Jim nodded once, his hand unconsciously reaching up and massaging the side of his neck. Merlin followed the movement and saw the mark on Jim's throat.

"My boy, if this happened in the dream, I fear you are in grave danger."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that when I woke up and was still hurt," Jim quipped.

"You must be careful, my boy," Merlin cautioned. Jim felt another witty retort rising, but he pushed it down. Now wasn't the time, and Merlin wasn't really the person Jim wanted to annoy with his sarcasm.

"What's happening?" he asked instead.

Merlin got to his feet. "There is a spell that can allow the one who cast it to enter the dreams of another and cause physical harm to the dreamer. You say two others were there as well though?"

Jim nodded.

"Interesting. That spell is normally meant for a single person to enter the dreamrealm. Morgana is powerful, even in exile, to transport three beings into your subconscious."

"Okay, now we know it's real. What do we do?" Claire asked. Her eyes glittered with determination, and even in their situation, Jim couldn't stop feeling even more attracted to her than he already was. If he let her know that though, she'd more than likely slap him upside the head and tell him to focus. So he focused. He'd tell her later.

"It's a dangerous spell," Merlin explained. "Whatever happens to you in the dreamrealm happens to your physical body as well. However, that is true for anyone inside the dream as well, meaning-"

"Meaning Morgana would be vulnerable too," Jim finished.

"But what about Bular and Gunmar?" Blinky asked. "They're already dead."

"In the dreamrealm, anyone who enters is vulnerable," Merlin repeated. "If their souls are there, they can be injured. It's why I was so surprised to hear they were there as well. If their souls are destroyed, well …"

"Brilliant! Master Jim, this is perfect! We now have the advantage; we know what we can do."

Claire stepped forward, holding her hand out. "Wait. You're saying whatever happens in dreamland happens here in the real world?"

"Dreamrealm, but yes. That's correct."

"So if Jim gets killed in there …"

"Correct again, my dear. If my Trollhunter dies in the dreamrealm, his body dies here as well, and his soul will be trapped until it, too, is destroyed."

"So no pressure," Jim muttered. The Trollhunter kicked at one of the rocks on the ground, sending it clattering off into the darkness.

"Well, is there any way to stop it?" Claire asked after a few moments of silent contemplation from the rest of the group.

"I am afraid that the only way to stop the spell from occuring once it has been cast is to defeat the one who cast it, so either the Trollhunter stays awake for the rest of his life, or-"

"Or I go back in and finish this."

Before anyone else could comment, a loud cry echoed from down another shoot of the tunneled cave they were in. The call sounded almost like it was spinning, going in circular motions with the cave itself, until it finally reached Jim, Claire, Blinky, and Merlin.

"Help!"

Claire and Jim shared a look, then glanced at Blinky. They'd had their struggles over the last few weeks with finding a safe pathway for them to travel, all the trolls getting into disagreements about one thing or another, and finding food for the humans to eat. Claire's parents had packed her enough to last her about a week, but it had been almost two, and the group had had to stop in order to let her venture to the top and gather more supplies. Throughout all of it, no physical fights had broken out between any of the trolls, though it had been close, and nothing terrible had happened. Until now, it would seem.

Two trolls skidded to a halt a few feet from Jim, spraying the Trollhunter with tiny pebbles.

"Barra, Fruiga, what's the matter?" Blinky asked.

The two of them sputtered for a moment, gasping for breath and tripping over the other's words. While they tried to get themselves coordinated, it gave time for a small group of trolls to enter as well, each looking like they'd also run a marathon. Jim figured they all probably wanted to hear what was going on as well.

"It's … it's …" Barra, the male troll sputtered.

"It's our son!" Fruiga finished with a wail. "He's been taken!"

That caused a stir to go through the crowd, and all the trolls began muttering amongst themselves.

"Taken?" Blinky asked. "By what? When? From where? Are you sure?"

"Of course we're sure!" Fruiga snapped. "One minute he says he's going to explore the tunnels, and the next thing you know, he hasn't come home!"

Jim was about to ask what made them so sure he'd been kidnapped and hadn't just gotten lost, but then Barra held out a grotesque doll-like thing. Since observing human culture and children's attachment to stuffed animals and dolls, the troll children had begun doing it as well. They'd all become very attached to the mangled, grotesque objects, and it was rather rare these days to see the young trolls without their toys. The fact that Barra and Fruiga's son had abandoned or dropped his still wasn't solid proof that the boy was missing, but it did make their case more believable.

"Trollhunter," Fruiga said, turning to Jim specifically. "Please find my son. Bring him home!"

"Of course," Jim said. "I'll find him."

"We'll help," Claire promised.

Fruiga clasped her hands together. "Thank you. Thank you!"

Jim felt bad, but he was honestly glad something like this was happening. Not that he was happy Fruiga and Barra's son disappeared, but searching for a missing troll? It would certainly help keep his mind off his dream.

Blinky wanted to help them, but Merlin suggested he stay behind and help come up with a way for Jim to defeat Morgana before Jim entered the Dreamrealm again, so the six-eyed troll simply wished them luck and sent them on their way.

After only a few minutes of wandering the caves, the young couple agreed it would be faster if they split up, deciding to text each other every thirty minutes with an update, or if either of them found something. Then, Claire went down a tunnel on the right while Jim entered the one on the left.

The first thirty minutes passed faster than Jim expected; the tunnels were long and dark, making it hard for the Trollhunter to track the passage of time. Then his phone beeped with a text from Claire checking in. Sending back a quick reply, Jim asked her if she'd found anything to even give them a clue. Her response came back negative, not that Jim was expecting much after such little time searching, but the longer they searched, the more the teenager began to worry that something actually _had_ happened to the young troll.

"_Nothing on my end either. Be safe." _

Jim continued walking, and a few minutes later came upon an odd sight. Many rocks had been used to form an image, a stick figure with horns crowning his head. Jim pulled out his phone. "_Found this."_ Then, still looking at the rock picture curiously, he snapped a picture and sent it to Claire. However, he didn't wait for a response. With as deep in the tunnels and caves as they were, Jim was surprised the regular messages sent as easy as they did. With pictures, he had no idea how long it would take to send, which is why he sent it in a different message than the alert that he'd found something.

He stepped forward to examine the rocks, but after examining it in a crouch for a few moments, the hair on the back of his neck began to rise. Quickly, he spun around, summoning Eclipse and standing at the ready. However, when he saw what was behind him, he paused.

"Vendal?"

His surprise slowed his reflexes, and he barely had time to duck out of the way as the troll in front of him swung his large, boulder-sized fist. Jim threw himself into a somersault, Eclipse dissipating so he didn't skewer himself in his attempt to get some distance between him and the behemoth in front of him.

The troll chasing him looked like Vendal, but was obviously someone else. The large troll had horns on his head, but unlike Vendal's, that looked like a ram's, this Troll's resembled more of a moose's antlers. Another difference that caused a bit of panic to rise in Jim's chest was, instead of having the opaque, almost clear eyes that Vendal had, this troll's eyes were black.

"Wait!" Jim shouted as he avoided the descending fist of the troll. "Stop, wait!"

The troll didn't listen, and Jim was forced to side-jump the troll's foot. Unfortunately, the Trollhunter was so focused on the troll in front of him that he didn't notice a second troll coming up behind until it was too late. He felt the back of his neck tingle again, but was too slow in avoiding a large burlap sack that enclosed around him.

Instant darkness surrounded Jim, but he wasn't worried. He simply summoned his thigh blades and attempted to cut the sack, but before he could he felt himself being lifted, and without any warning, suddenly flung through the air.

The Trollhunter felt something solid and heavy connect with his head, and he immediately fell unconscious.

_0-0-0_

The two trolls didn't speak to each other as they watched the intruder's bag cease movement immediately after being slammed into the wall. The second troll bent down and picked up the sack, slinging it over his shoulder and lumbering into the darkness, his companion following close behind. The two of them disappeared into the cave, vanishing without a trace.

_**Whatcha guys think? **_


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